TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

trashgang Blah blah blah, is this a remake of The Towering Inferno (1974). For me it isn't, it's not because a disaster is taking place in a building that it is a remake of an old classic. But this flick here isn't for everybody because if you can't stand Asian flicks than stay away from this.The way the acting is and the way characters are talking to each other doesn't add towards the easiness to watch this flick. Just see how the boss of the tower and the workers are handling towards each other. But on the other hand this isn't really a disaster flick, it's more an ode to the fire brigades risking their life every day. Not that it was all that bad, the effects used were sublime. And there is suspense throughout the whole movie. There was even the typical Asian humour to see. But at the end of the day I thought that it would contain a bit of those Asian gore in it but it wasn't. It's not a bad movie and you will have flashbacks to the 9/11 event like people jumping out of the building and when the tower collide, well, if you were all ready there on 9/11 you will have some memories.Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 4/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

cadillac20 While The Tower may come off as a Korean remake of The Towering Inferno, but even so, this is a thrill ride that doesn't skimp on emotion either. A moving, effective, and thrilling disaster piece, once it gets going, it rarely lets up.At the center of the film is Dae-ho, a single father who helps manage the safety of Sky Tower, a fictional super-high rise in Korea. Home to many luxurious apartments and amenities, including a restaurant. Taking place on Christmas Eve, a massive party turns into a massive disaster as an accident sets the building ablaze. Dae-ho's daughter, who joined him for the party, becomes stranded and Dae-ho attempts to rescue her. Helping him are the nearest firefighters, who make a heroic attempt to save the people trapped inside and put out the blaze.The film has a number of secondary characters and side stories, all of whom we're introduced to within the first 30 minutes. The film does a good job setting up our characters and giving us reasons to care about them, from the cleaning woman and her college age son whose tuition she supports, to the elderly couple, of whom the man in the relationship is trying to be more supportive and caring towards his wife. Each of these side characters has great moments and you care enough about them to want to see them all survive. When the time comes that not all of them make it, it's truly tragic. It helps that the acting, even if a bit melodramatic, is effective. Dae-ho, in particular, is an effective father who never comes off as less than heroic.However, the heart of the film is the disaster itself, and more so than any film in the past couple years, the disaster here is truly epic and effective. While the film isn't terribly gruesome, it doesn't shy away from showing us the tragedy or effects of the disaster in the film. There is a bit of blood here and there, but most of what is effective is due to the scale of the disaster or the intimacy that we have with the people effected by the chaos. One great example comes from an elevator full of people who become trapped amidst a floor with a raging fire. The film doesn't shy away from giving us a glimpse inside the elevator for effect.And once the disaster does hit, the film rarely slows down. Obstacle after obstacle is thrown in the path of our characters. Not everyone makes it, giving the film an edge of suspense that leaves you wondering who will make it out alive and who won't. Disaster films are at their best when they display two things: the tragedy these disasters bring and the suspense of never really knowing what is going to happen next. The Tower brings tons of both. All in all, this is a great film with a wonderful heart.

Conner Clutsom I have to admit, after watching the film I went to see other people reviews on IMDb and such. A lot of reviewers did compare it to "The Towering Inferno". I have to say - I have not watched Towering Inferno. Having said that, lets begin:- The Tower starts off normal by showing you the characters and what they are like before the inevitable disaster. All the characters you are meant to like, you like and those you hate, you hate. The actors of the firefighters particular stood out to me, especially the captain. Throughout the whole film there I sympathized and rooted for the character to get out of the tower alive.The special effects, both CGI and real, are something to be marveled at. The fire looks dangerous and scary and is a great set piece for some shots, especially in a scene where some firefighters are fighting the fire on a walkway with the group of men silhouetted against the raging fire. The debris and glass that rains down on the characters as well just make the film more tense and horrific. The film has amazing suspenseful parts, with a scene involving a glass bridge being very well shot and with a great tension throughout the whole scene.The film was a fantastic watch and one of the few films where I had a lump in my throat as well as having me on the edge of my seat when the first flame lit up the tower. A great film and well worth a watch, one of the best disaster films I have seen in the last few years. :)

Leofwine_draca THE TOWER is nothing more than a modern-day remake of the Irwin Allen disaster classic THE TOWERING INFERNO, updating the storyline with modern technology and modern effects but dealing with exactly the same type of logistical intrigue and scared survivors drama. It's slightly melodramatic, as is the case with a lot of Asian cinema, but it's also highly efficient with it. It may not be up there with the best of the genre, but it's better than the comparable likes of AFTERSHOCK and THE SINKING OF JAPAN.The narrative takes on a familiar construction with the first half hour building the characters before letting rip with a major accident, then working its way through a series of alternative disaster scenarios. Survivors are fried, dropped, blown up and put into various perilous situations, and it's all handled with more than a modicum of efficiency by director Kim Ji-hoon. It's also well paced and technically efficient, with decent CGI adding to the peril and some well-placed comic relief offsetting the more dramatic moments.Is THE TOWER original? Not a jot. Is it as good as the original? Not by a long shot. Is it entertaining? Oh yes. It may be no classic, but as modern disaster cinema goes this is one of the better ones you'll find out there.